The New Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019 was passed by Rajya Sabha on 31st July 2019. It’s main aims is to create awareness among people about safe driving by increasing the fines imposed on traffic rule violation.
What is Motor Vehicle Act?
Motor Vehicle Act was first introduces in 1989 by The Government of India where detail regarding driving licensing, motor vehicles registration, traffic regulation, insurance, liability, offences and penalties, etc came into existence.
The main aim of Motor Vehicle Bill 2017 (amendment) is to propose penalties for traffic offences. Below is the bill summary that was proposed:-
- If you allow to use motor vehicle to your children below 18 years there will be 3-year imprisonment for parents.
- Motor Vehicle Bill 2017 proposed a cap of max 3rd party legal liability to Rs. 10 lakh for death and Rs. 5 lakh for serious injuries which was not the case with Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 act.
- Contractors to be held responsible and blacklisted for bad condition of the roads that they have made.
- This act also proposed bill triggers to increase the compensation for families whose members have met with an accident.
- Proposed a Motor Accident Fund to be developed for offering mandatory insurance cover for pedestrians in India only for specific accident types.
- Promoting e-Governance to enable online facilitation of learning licenses, and getting rid of the educational qualifications while applying for the transport license.
- Submission of Aadhaar number while applying for a driver’s license
- Serious Offences like drunk driving, rash driving, and not wearing seat belts and helmets it was proposed to increase in penalties.
Fine as Per New Motor Vehicle Amendment Act
| Section | Offence | Old Penalty | New Proposed Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | General | Rs. 100 | Rs. 500 |
| New 177A | Rules of road regulation violation | Rs. 100 | Rs. 500 |
| 178 | Ticketless travel | Rs. 200 | Rs. 500 |
| 179 | Disobedience of authorities’ orders | Rs. 500 | Rs. 2,000 |
| 180 | Unauthorized use of vehicles without license | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 5,000 |
| 181 | Driving without license | Rs. 500 | Rs. 5,000 |
| 182 | Driving despite disqualification | Rs. 500 | Rs. 10,000 |
| 182 B | Oversize vehicles | New | Rs. 5,000 |
| 183 | Over speeding | Rs. 400 | Rs. 1,000 for LMV Rs. 2,000 for Medium passenger vehicle |
| 184 | Dangerous driving penalty | Rs. 1,000 | Up to Rs. 5,000 |
| 185 | Drunken driving | Rs. 2,000 | Rs. 10,000 |
| 189 | Speeding/ Racing | Rs. 500 | Rs. 5,000 |
| 192 A | Vehicle without permit | Up to Rs. 5,000 | Up to Rs. 10,000 |
| 193 | Aggregators (violations of licensing conditions) | New | Rs. 10,000 |
| 194 | Overloading | Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 1,000 per extra tonne | Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 2,000 per extra tonne |
| 194 A | Overloading of passengers | New | Rs. 1,000 per extra passenger |
| 194 B | Seat belt | Rs. 100 | Rs. 1,000 |
| 194 C | Overloading of two wheelers | Rs. 100 | Rs. 2,000 Disqualification for 3 months of the licence |
| 194 D | Helmets | Rs. 100 | Rs. 1,000 Disqualification for 3 months of the licence |
| 194 E | Not providing way for emergency vehicles | New | Rs. 10,000 |
| 196 | Driving without Insurance | Rs. 1,000 | Rs. 2,000 |
| 199 | Offences by Juveniles | New | Guardian/Owner shall be deemed to be guilty. Rs. 25,000 with 3 yrs imprisonment. |
| 206 | Power of Offices to impound documents | New | Suspension of driving licenses u/s 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D, 194E |
| 210 B | Offences committed by enforcing authorities | New | Twice the penalty under the relevant section |
Some Major Changes in the fine
Fine for Driving-related Offences
If driver is minor below 18 years old then the fine of Rs. 500 and in case a juvenile causes an accident, the fine is of Rs. 1000.
Not Wearing helmet : Fine of Rs. 1000 plus disqualification of license for three months
Rash Driving : Rs. 5000 penalty for rash driving and if also over-speeding the vehicles on the roads.
Over loading : Fine of Rs. 1000 along with disqualification of license for three months.
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Intoxicating Substance : Compared to the old penalty of Rs 2,000, if its a first-time offender now it has been increased to Rs 10,000 and/or face imprisonment of 6 months and if its the second time the offender has to pay Rs 15,000 and can face up to 2 years of imprisonment.
Driving in the wrong direction: Fine of Rs. 500
Fine of Rs. 500 for overtaking in traffic or not giving way to other vehicles on the road
Fine of Rs. 500 for disobeying lawful directions on purpose
Using of Mobile Phone: Fine of Rs. 5000 for using mobile phones while driving vehicles
Loud Music : Fine of Rs. 500 for using loud music when riding bikes or cars which can distract others and can result in accidents.
Court challan in case the traffic police finds the driver unfit while on the road.
Fine for Not Carrying Proper Documents
Driving Without License: Its mandate to have a driving license while driving a vehicle but if in case you are caught with no DL the you have to pay Rs 5000 which is 10 times more than what it was earlier.
Driving With Disqualified DL : If you are caught driving with a disqualified licence, he or she can be fined for Rs 10,000. This fine was just Rs 500 earlier.
Insurance paper of Vehicle : A penalty of Rs. 2000 and/or imprisonment of up to three months for not carrying a valid motor insurance policy.
Registration certificate : Fine of Rs. 2000
Parking-related Offences Fine
If you have parked you vehicle on a “NO PARKING” Zone you make it towed way by RTO team. For this fine of Rs 500/- will be imposed and another Rs 100/- fine for improper parking offences such as Parking vehicle in or against the direction of flow of road traffic parking at the corner of the road or causing trouble to people by parking the vehicle near bus stop or causing obstruction to other vehicles on roads.
Frequently Asked Questions related to New Motor Vehicle Act 2019
As per section 187 of the Motor Vehicle Act 2019, anyone who is caught driving dangerously on roads can face a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and/or imprisonment of six months. If there a repeat offence then in that case fined up to Rs 10,000 and can be imprisoned for up to 1 year.
As per the section 129 of the Motor Vehicle Act, people above four years of age, driving or riding or being carried on a motorcycle in a public place have to wear protective headgear conforming to ISI standards.
As per the new Motor Vehicle Act 2019, the penalty for general offences has been increased from Rs 100 earlier to Rs 500 for first offence, and Rs 300 earlier to Rs 1,000 for repeat offence. .
The Section 181 MV Act was implemented to ensure that people are driving an authorized vehicle with a valid driving licence.
Section 184 MV Act is imposed for driving dangerously. Any individual who drive or ride vehicle at speed which is above the speed limit and putting other people’s lives in danger whill have to pay a penalty of INR 1000/- or imprisonment of up to six months, or both for the first offence. While Second and subsequent offence committed under the same will attract imprisonment of up to two years, a hefty penalty of INR 2000, or both.
Under Section 185 of MV Act – Individuals who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is considered guilty and they have alcohol exceeding 30 mg. per 100 ml. in their blood and is detected in a test by a breath analyser will have to pay fine of Rs 10,000 and/or face imprisonment of 6 months and Second and subsequent offence has to pay Rs 15,000 and can face up to 2 years of imprisonment.
The Section 192 MV Act is for driving motor vehicles without registration, for first offence penalty between INR 2000 and INR 5000 and/or imprisonment of three months. Second and subsequent offence – the individual guilty of the offence will have to pay a penalty of INR 10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
Any individual who drives a motor vehicle or allows someone the vehicle to be driven in contravention of the provisions of Section 146, will be punishable by law. The person found guilty will have to undergo imprisonment of up to three months and/or have to pay a penalty of INR 1000.